After My Flash Marriage with the Sick Beauty, I Reached the Pinnacle of My Life - Chapter 82

Xia Shishi looked at them with a beaming smile, adopting a bit of a sly, little-fox demeanor.

The others did not know how much she had learned from Wen Jiao, but both Aunt Wen and Shi Cun felt uneasy the moment they saw Xia Shishi.

However, having reached this stage, no one was willing to give up. What if this incident actually convinced Wen Jiao to agree?

Shi Cun was quick to seize every opportunity. She reacted instantly and replied with a smile, “Since you are both free, please come in and take a look.” She behaved as if she had originally intended to host both of them, showing absolute impartiality in her attitude.

The only one who felt uncomfortable was Aunt Wen.

Xia Shishi did not concern herself with any of that. If her dear wife told her to come and observe, she would come. Whatever unexpected events occurred mid-process, they were probably within her wife’s control. Her only job was to play her part.

Xia Shishi’s expression was quite animated. She made a playful gesture and walked inside.

She did not have her phone with her; after telling Wen Jiao the location, she hung up. Aunt Wen thought for a moment and followed them in.

They had all overlooked one person present—the assistant. As an assistant, he was accustomed to being ignored. Fortunately, none of them were paying him any attention.

The assistant was wearing a Bluetooth headset, and Wen Jiao’s voice sounded through it: “Take good care of Xia Shishi.” Receiving payment for services, the assistant could only comply with such a minor request.

He looked at Xia Shishi, who was leading the way, acting more like the host than Shi Cun.

Xia Shishi said, “Such a large warehouse must have a lot of things stored in it.”

Shi Cun’s smile was somewhat strained. Xia Shishi’s words were like a dagger twisting in her heart, intensely painful.

Her company had a high production output and stable supplies for many cooperatives, but that prosperous situation was now a thing of the past.

After that one instance of cooperation with Wen Jiao, the former commercial partners all used the excuse of substandard building materials to drive down prices. The prices they quoted were outrageously low, and Shi Cun refused to agree under any circumstances.

As time went on, those building materials piled up in the warehouse. When it came time to pay workers’ wages and settle the final accounts with raw material suppliers, Shi Cun began to falter. The company’s capital flow was blocked, and it seemed the only option was to sell the goods cheaply—exactly what those business partners wanted to see.

But if she did that, how could the company continue to operate? Once a precedent for low prices was set, it would be impossible to stabilize the situation later.

It was common practice to mix in building materials of substandard quality to cut corners, and everyone usually turned a blind eye, provided it was not too excessive.

She had only provided a small portion of unqualified materials. It would have been fine as long as the construction company noticed and did not use them.

Yet, Wen Jiao insisted that Shi Cun replace the entire batch of goods and then publicly announced the termination of their partnership.

Shi Cun forced herself not to dwell on the matter, because only the Wen Group could save her company now; they could absorb this batch of goods. Once she overcame this hurdle, the cooperatives that needed materials would inevitably return.

Shi Cun had to win this delaying tactic.

Aside from Shi Cun, no one present could determine if the building materials were qualified, as they were not professionals.

Aunt Wen had naturally hired an engineer to conduct a private inspection and only agreed to sign the contract after confirming that they passed. She guaranteed to Shi Cun that this inspection would be the very last one. As long as the situation from last time did not reoccur, there would be no problem.

However, Xia Shishi was now mixed up in this.

She spoke with difficulty: “My dear said we would no longer cooperate. If Auntie signs this contract, isn’t that a huge insult to her? After all, she is your niece.”

Aunt Wen knew that Xia Shishi’s presence spelled trouble, and she would even invoke family ties.

Aunt Wen replied, “This cooperation was negotiated between me and CEO Shi. I will bear the responsibility if any problems arise later.”

“I trust Auntie’s word, but can Auntie truly bear the responsibility?”

“What is there to worry about…” Aunt Wen frowned, thinking Xia Shishi was being alarmist. At worst, it would be the same as last time: discovering unqualified materials, terminating the cooperation with Shi Cun, and simply losing face again.

“Aunt Wen should be aware of the importance of the standards for this project. This opportunity was hard-won against the Fu family. If the city becomes disappointed, and the Fu family takes advantage to cause a negative impact on the Wen Group, how will Auntie handle the fallout?”

Wen Jiao has always painstakingly cultivated her reputation, which is why she was so strict. A reputation, once damaged, is difficult to salvage. Aunt Wen was risking more than just her own reputation.

Aunt Wen remained silent. She naturally understood the gravity of the situation. However, she was gambling that Shi Cun would not dare to cause trouble.

But could Shi Cun genuinely be trusted? Perhaps this was merely the company’s final transaction before she changed careers.

The doubts that had been suppressed deep down and ignored were now stirred up again by Xia Shishi’s few words.

Shi Cun became anxious: “All the supplied building materials are in this warehouse. You can inspect them however you wish.”

Xia Shishi said bluntly: “Really? I don’t believe it. What if you secretly swap them after we leave?”

Shi Cun opened her mouth. Faced with Xia Shishi’s direct distrust, she did not know what to say. Any mere verbal explanation was useless, and her hard-earned reputation… had already been damaged by the last collaboration.

Xia Shishi glanced sideways at Aunt Wen, signaling with her eyes, You see? Without a reputation, it was truly difficult to recover.

Shi Cun could not even retort forcefully. What choice did she have when those cooperators were like a pack of jackals and tigers, just waiting to swallow her whole?

Xia Shishi narrowed her eyes, already guessing how Fu Yunhan had dealt with Wen Jiao in the previous life.

In the previous life, Fu Yunhan secured that piece of land. His development plan must have been different from Wen Jiao’s, leaning more towards construction and profit. In that scenario, he would require more materials, and Shi Cun would be more inclined to approach Fu Yunhan.

Fu Yunhan did indeed enter into a partnership with Shi Cun. Xia Shishi was not entirely clear on the details, as this was currently just speculation. The main plot did not describe it, and she did not have the capacity to worry about such things in her previous life, so she could only guess through inference.

Shi Cun, having overcome her crisis with Fu Yunhan’s help, then, under Fu Yunhan’s instruction, turned to cause trouble for the Wen Group.

Xia Shishi had repeatedly confirmed with Wen Jiao whether the company had left any weakness for Shi Cun to exploit. Wen Jiao said no, and Xia Shishi absolutely trusted Wen Jiao’s word.

Therefore, what Shi Cun could do was contact her former partners and choose a collaboration specifically targeting Wen Jiao.

Just as those partners ganged up to suppress Shi Cun, as long as Wen Jiao lacked reliable allies to help, she would have to suffer a certain loss in this matter. Even if she compensated later, it would still consume a great deal of Wen Jiao’s energy. At that time, her health was already poor…

This life was different. Although the Xia Group’s and Wen Group’s business directions were unrelated, Xia Shishi could still offer some assistance. Wen Jiao’s health would also slowly improve.

The current situation was that she could not push Shi Cun too hard, or she might still seek out Fu Yunhan. While ensuring safety, it was better to leave Shi Cun some room to maneuver.

Aunt Wen was the one cooperating with Shi Cun, and Xia Shishi’s role was just to stir up trouble.

Buying qualified building materials at a cheap price saves the company money, and the contract is under Aunt Wen’s name, having little to do with the resting Wen Jiao, and even less to do with Xia Shishi, who was merely observing the commotion.

Xia Shishi was skilled at finding fault, and no one suspected her. They could only chastise her inwardly. She did not care about others’ criticism.

Xia Shishi put her hands on her hips: “Unless none of you can enter the warehouse.”

Aunt Wen had snapped out of her thoughts: “Stop talking nonsense.” This was Shi Cun’s company warehouse; how could they be unable to enter?

She realized that as long as Shi Cun’s people had an opportunity to enter later, they might secretly swap the materials. If that truly led to dissatisfaction with the city government, she could not shoulder the responsibility.

Perhaps it was better to abandon the cooperation.

Aunt Wen’s intention to withdraw was obvious. Shi Cun, in a panic, ignored all other concerns and immediately agreed: “Of course, no problem. You can borrow the warehouse for a period of time. I will take it back after you have moved all the materials out.”

Xia Shishi remarked: “Finding a warehouse is another expenditure.”

The assistant also spoke up in a timely manner: “CEO Wen, the company does not have a suitable warehouse to store the materials. Even if we move them to the construction site, we cannot store this many, and exposure to sun and rain can easily cause damage to the materials.”

Shi Cun said: “…You can borrow it until you have made proper arrangements.” If the materials could not be sold, they would just be piled up in the warehouse anyway; it was merely a longer loan period. It was not convenient to transport the materials out from here. By then, they would naturally think of a labor-saving method and would not borrow it for several years.

Xia Shishi feigned surprise as she looked at Shi Cun, then shrugged: “I’m only here to join the fun; I’m not involved in these matters. Why are you answering me?”

Shi Cun: “…” Why did you say so much then! She looked at her cooperator, Aunt Wen, and began to strongly criticize her in her mind for standing aside and letting Xia Shishi find fault.

Aunt Wen was also silent. She noticed that Xia Shishi had no intention of stopping her, acting like she was genuinely just watching the show. Moreover, the potential problem had been inexplicably resolved.

The quality of the materials in the warehouse was qualified. She could buy them at a low price, and the potential areas of concern had been challenged by Xia Shishi. Now, she could sign the contract.

Aunt Wen was still slightly unconvinced. In her haste, she looked at the assistant.

The assistant had already produced the contract: “CEO Wen, aren’t you going to sign it?”

So, should she sign?

Leaving the building materials market, Xia Shishi prepared to hail a taxi.

The assistant also rushed over. He handed the Bluetooth headset to Xia Shishi: “The Acting Director has something to say to you.”

The assistant still could not break the habit of calling Wen Jiao the Acting Director.

Xia Shishi took the headset in confusion and heard Wen Jiao’s praise: “You did very well.” As expected, sending Xia Shishi there had produced a certain miraculous effect.

Xia Shishi felt shy from the praise. She could not hide the smile on her lips: “Why are you using someone else’s phone to praise me? Can’t you reach me on mine?”

The assistant pretended not to hear, like a puppet without the ability to think.

Wen Jiao also chuckled: “That’s because there’s something else, I need to say. Alright, give the phone back.”

Xia Shishi returned the Bluetooth headset.

The assistant realized the call had already been disconnected, so he said to Xia Shishi: “Don’t misunderstand. I suspect my boss is just trying to show off her affection to me in a subtle way.”

Xia Shishi could not help but laugh. She did that sort of thing often, but Wen Jiao would not.

Since it sounded quite pleasant, Xia Shishi did not refute him.

The assistant could not be away for too long; he still needed to earn Aunt Wen’s favor, so he quickly departed. Wen Jiao’s call came in right after he left, timed perfectly, as if afraid of giving the assistant a headache.

“Now for the other matter: I miss you. Can you take a taxi back to see me?”